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	Diocese of Helena Responds to Lawsuit By Melissa Anderson KRTV September 22, 2011 http://www.krtv.com/news/diocese-of-helena-responds-to-lawsuit/ [with video] The Diocese of Helena was hit with a lawsuit this week regarding allegations of past sexual abuse of children. The lawsuit lists 34 complainants who claim they were subjected to child sexual abuse and other harm. The various defendants listed in the case are charged with wrongful conduct under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena. "I believe that the complaints in this case span from roughly the 1960's until the 1980's. Now, no one should take a false sense of security that there aren't newer cases," said plaintiff's attorney Tim Kosnoff of Seattle. But the Helena Diocese disagrees, claiming that if any new cases were filed, they would've known about them. Diocese spokeswoman Renee St. Martin Wiseman said, "If the complaint was made through our office, through the Diocese, and was made against an order priest, and certainly the Diocese is going to be aware of that, and then I believe a dialogue would ensue." The complaint is asking for several conditions besides an outside investigation. Among the conditions: asking the Diocese to establish a toll-free phone number and a website where anonymous abuse complaints can be made; the Diocese adopt a whistle-blower policy; and that the Bishop take personal interest by visiting each and every parish and school where known perpetrators served. The Diocese of Helena says it already has such mechanisms in place and is in full compliance. Wiseman said, "What we do now is a program called Virtus, and it's a safe environment training program so all employees, including myself, any volunteers that are going to have contact with children, and it's all employees, regardless if they are having contact with children go through this program." While there is no specific amount of monetary damages mentioned in the lawsuit, it does ask for relief as well as attorney fees.
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